Leongatha hosts small business minister

FEDERAL Minister for Small Business, Michael McCormack MP was guest speaker at a Gippsland Business breakfast in McCartin’s Hotel, Leongatha last Thursday, October 6.

Mr McCormack was introduced by Victorian based Senator Bridget McKenzie who returned “home” for the occasion.

“Small business are the key drivers in our local towns and the community and our Minister, from the town of Wagga Wagga, loves to talk to businesses big and small,” Senator McKenzie said.

Mr McCormack stated the country needed a vibrant small business sector to help stimulate the economy.

“The Federal Government is playing its part and has reduced the company tax rate from 28.5 cents in the dollar to 27.5 cents in the dollar and eventually it will be reduced again to 25 percent,” he said.

The eligibility has changed too with business turnover out from $2million to now $10 Million, opening up the tax break to a lot more small to medium outfits.

Mr McCormack also encouraged the 50 or so small business people in the room to take advantage of the instant offset for goods purchased under $20,000 which is available up till July next year.

Following the speech the issues most concerning guests came out in question time.

Paul Ahern who runs Ahern’s Fruit Market and Fine Foods in Foster questioned the costs of country people accessing and using internet compared with much cheaper rates in Melbourne.

The Skymaster 2 has just been launched and this will provide many more thousands in the bush access to the internet.

“More and more people per month are being connected than ever before. But we as a Government can do more on the costs and I will take this concern up on your behalf and forward this also to Minister for Communications Mitch Fifield.

“Some $160 Million is being spent on a blackspot program for mobile reception. As we get more players in the market and competition you will see internet and mobile prices come down over time.”

On the same issue Meg Parkinson of Annie’s Free Range Eggs, Fish Creek said the NBN employee had said her phone number would be replaced with a new one for two weeks before reverting back to the old one.

“This I said was not on and fortunately the number was kept.”

Adrian Harris spoke to the Minister about the exhorbitant rates being paid by farmers in the country compared to what is paid in the city.

“They have great flower gardens in the towns like Leongatha but will this shire come and clean out a table drain, hardly ever,” he said.

“We see ten gardeners working in the towns but no drains are being cleared, the land slips are not getting done, we aren’t getting service.”

“We have 32 councillors sitting for three wards in this election so I can tell you people are not happy.”

Mr McCormack said it was very difficult to channel the money through from Federal to Sta6te and then Local Governments in a timely manner.

“There is a lag of delivery of services to the bush. It can also be related to different parties running governments in Federal and the State,” he said.

“I often encourage people to maybe make a run at council and try to have a say. Maybe get involved in a political party.”

Glenn Wright of Leongatha asked the Minister about his view of struggling country towns with shops empty in most of them and the big supermarkets seeming to be the only ones surviving well.

“How do you see the future of town in this light,” Mr Wright asked.

“The one thing about the duopoly in the supermarkets is at least it provides an avenue for thousands of small business suppliers to gain access for their products,” he said.

“In regards to internet shopping next year from July 1 overseas traders will have to pay a 10 per cent GST on goods coming in because we want to have a level playing field for our Australian businesses.”

Another said Payroll Tax was also a big impost on small business which the Minister quickly stated was a state issue but a question he is often asked.

The breakfast was organised by Meg Edwards who thanked McCartins Hotel’s Phillip Botte for putting on such a great breakfast.

Welcome: from left, Victorian based Senator, formerly from Koonwarra, Senator Bridget McKenzie, guest speaker Federal Minister for Small business Michael McCormack and organizer Meg Edwards.

Short URL: /?p=19778

Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Oct 11 2016. Filed under Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry